Rodkaal – Danish Braised Red Cabbage

Serves 6 – Note: best made at least one day before serving. This recipe come from a Moscow, Idaho childhood friend, Karen Barr.

1 medium head of red cabbage (about 2 lbs)
4 T butter cut into pieces
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1/3 c water
1/3 c white wine vinegar
1/4 c red or black currant jelly
2 T grated apple

Wash the cabbage, remove tough outer leaves and cut the head from pole to pole. Cut out the core and slice thinly to make roughly 9 Cups shredded cabbage.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine butter, sugar, salt, water and vinegar in a cast iron Dutch oven or 4 – 5 qt enameled iron casserole. On the stove top, melt the butter mixture and add shredded cabbage, tossing with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and place the pot in the oven to braise for 2 hours.

About 10 minutes before the cabbage is finished, stir in the currant jelly and grated apple, then pop back in the oven to complete cooking.

The “piquant” taste will improve if by resting the cooked cabbage in the fridge overnight – I add a another Tablespoon of currant jelly, then reheat on top of the stove to serve hot as a side dish for pork, goose, or turkey.

Aunt Virgie Lee's Swedish Kringle

My Aunt Virgie Lee made this dessert for me on a visit. With desserts like this one, she always keeps me coming back!

Crust:

1-1/4 c flour
1/2 c butter
4 T cold water

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut butter into the flour. Add the water. Form into a dough, and press into the bottom of a jelly roll pan.

Filling:

1 c water
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

In a saucepan, boil the water and the butter. Remove from eat and add the flour all at once, stirring until combined. Add each egg, one at a time, beating until the egg is incorporated. Stir in vanilla.

Spread the filling over the crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F, and bake for another 25 minutes.

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 T softened butter
1 t vanilla
2 T evaporated milk

Beat together the sugar, salt, and butter. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the milk. Frost the kringle while it is still slightly warm. Cut the kringle into bars.

Note: For a chocolate frosting, add 2 T cocoa to the powdered sugar and salt before beating in the butter.